Congratulations! You’ve made it to the interview! If you have made it this far you have caught their attention with your resume and cover letter and now your potential employer wants to learn more about you. At this point, you are halfway to your dream job! The trick now is to thoughtfully and confidently glide your way through the second half of your journey – the interview.
Now while some people will say an interview is just as much about you interviewing the company as it is about them interviewing you – the truth is this interview is about an employer making a final decision between applicants and it is up to YOU to stand out above them all.
How can you do this? Lucky for you- I have some tips to help you out! The average interview is about 30 minutes long, and interviewers will typically ask around 10 questions. What does this mean for you? It means you have approximately 3 minutes per question to impress the interviewer- and land your dream job!
Here are a few of my best tips for prepping for the interview: (PS – for even more tips and tricks on standing out in the applicant pool join my comprehensive course Boost!)
1. Do Your Research
This is very important. Look at their website, see what is in the news, and check out their social media to see their highlights. Come prepared with information about them. Potential employers will be impressed with your knowledge of their workplace, and appreciate your willingness to learn about them before considering working with them.
2. Prepare
You need to prepare for the questions before you get to the interview. There are 3 main types of interview questions. Interviewers generally ask questions in each of these categories- skills, behavioral, and scenario. This means in order to ace the interview, you really need to be prepared with answers to these types of questions ahead of time. Skills questions will be about various skills you possess. Behavioral will typically be based on how you have personally handled various situations in the past, while scenario questions are set up as hypothetical scenarios where you have to think about how you would act in a specific situation. During your interview, you need to have a solid strategy for answering each of these types of questions. Looking for specific interview questions you can prepare for? My exclusive course –Boost– includes a workbook full of sample interview questions in EACH of these categories.
3.Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes perfect! It is extremely important for you to practice your interview if you want to give it your best shot. Practice answering potential interview questions, practice being thoughtful, concise, prepared, and confident. Grab a timer and set it for 3 minutes – see if you can get your answers to fill up that amount of time.
Ending the Interview
When the interview is coming to an end, and your interviewer asks “Are there any questions you have for us, or is there anything else you would like to add?” Don’t be in a rush to run out of the room! Use this opportunity to interview them and be sure that this particular position and school is actually a good fit for you. Make sure you are prepared with at least a few questions. This will show your potential employer that you are invested in learning about them, and are genuinely interested in more than just making it through the interview. Here are a few examples of questions you can ask: What do you like most about working here? How would you describe the school culture? What is the typical day-to-day like for this position?
In addition to interviewing them, you can also use the last few minutes to advocate as to why you are the best person for this position. When the interview is over, be sure to thank everyone for their time.
Want a FREE checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything and are fully prepared for your interview? Click Here!
Remember, landing the interview means that this employer is interested in you- you stood out above a sea of other applicants, and now it is up to you to prove that they made the right choice. Your task now is to show them that you are not only interview-worthy but that you are the best person for this position.
If you are looking for the BEST tips, tricks, and tools for landing your dream job be sure to enroll in my course – Boost: Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviewing to Land Your Dream Job!
